Autism in the News – Wednesday, 03.24.10

An autistic teenager from the Chicago area has done something almost impossible. Read more.

Kean Receives Grant To Help Students With Learning Disabilities (Union, N.J.)

Kean University recently received the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Community Seed Grant in support of Project Excel, an ongoing initiative that assists students with learning disabilities. The program is a perfect fit for the Foundation and its mission, which develops, supports and advocates programs that enrich the lives of those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Read more.

New test for autism can be done early (Los Angeles, Calif.)

New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all children be screened for autism at 1 and a half and 2 years of age. But there’s no blood test to diagnose autism spectrum disorders, and a typical evaluation can take two to four hours. Read more.

Trial under way for man in son’s death (Grand Junction, Colo.)

It’s not under dispute that Allen Grabe shot and killed his 13-year-old son, Jacob Grabe, at his family’s Pear Park home the night of Sept. 11, 2008. Read more.

Prosecutors to seek 25 years for TJX hacker (Boston, Mass.)

A computer hacker who helped orchestrate one of the largest thefts of credit and debit card numbers in U.S. history faces sentencing this week for hacking into computer systems of major retailers, including TJX Cos., BJ’s Wholesale Club and Sports Authority. Read more.

LAPD says it trains officers how to deal with autistic people (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Los Angeles Police officials say they began providing training on how to deal with people with autism long before two officers shot and killed an autistic man over the weekend. Read more.

Kids to be charged for sex assault (Miami, Fla.)

Charges will be filed against an 11-year-old boy and two of his friends for a sickening crime committed against a classmate on school grounds. Read more.